La Jefa Café
Mexican restaurant · Rittenhouse ·
Mexican cafe serving lonches, coffee, cocktails, and wine
Mexican cafe serving lonches, coffee, cocktails, and wine
"Part cafe and part lounge, this “Guadaladelphian” mix of Mexico and Philly delivers beverages worth sampling whether caffeinated, decaffeinated, fermented, or alcoholic, with flavors that evoke rich chocolate and sweet agave. Owner Dan Suro (son of David Suro of Tequilas) channels a love of agave-based spirits into both the daytime coffee program and the nighttime bar. By day, I sip creative coffee like the Agavette ($5.50), a light espresso-and-agave mix with frothed milk, and seasonal specials such as the winter spiced pepita latte ($8) with toasted pumpkin seed and fall spices, alongside in-house pastries — the Dulce de la Jefa ($6–$8), a sugar doughnut with lemongrass pastry cream, is a standout. Don’t sleep on the $3 drip coffee; beans sourced through a partnership with Cafe Estelar, a roaster in Guadalajara, make it rich and nutty. After dark, the cafe becomes La Jefa Milpa and cocktails take over, keeping a Guadalajarian-influenced palate and leaning into Mesoamerican farming with corn and native plants; an Old Fashioned with agave cocido–infused Cascahuin blanco, koji-fermented agavezake, and bitters, finished with an orange twist, shows the level of craft." - Annemarie Dooling
"An all‑day Mexican café that pairs elevated cocktails with playful plates like inside‑out chilaquiles, this Philly hangout captures the city’s surge of inventive, vibe‑forward openings." - Travel + Leisure Editors Travel + Leisure Editors Since 1971, Travel + Leisure editors have followed one mission: to inform, inspire, and guide travelers to have deeper, more meaningful experiences. T+L's editors have traveled to countries all over the world, having flown, sailed, road tripped, and taken the train countless miles. They've visited small towns and big cities, hidden gems and popular destinations, beaches and mountains, and everything in between. With a breadth of knowledge about destinations around the globe, air travel, cruises, hotels, food and drinks, outdoor adventure, and more, they are able to take their real-world experience and provide readers with tried-and-tested trip ideas, in-depth intel, and inspiration at every point of a journey. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"Rittenhouse’s La Jefa opened with a lot of anticipation—after all, it’s the sibling of the beautiful (and much-beloved) Tequila’s. But this all-day cafe stands out on its own thanks to its Mexican-inspired breakfast and baked goods. The sit-down menu is full of hits: chilaquiles with pickled ayocote folded into a perfect omelette, an oat and fruit bowl punched up by turmeric milk, and a zesty zucchini sandwich topped with cilantro pesto and pepper relish. You’ll want to lounge for an hour or two in the airy, tile-filled dining room, but if you have to take your totomoxtle latte to go, be sure to grab a blackberry concha, too (the pastries here are knockouts). Dinner service in the sexy second dining area hasn’t started yet, but we can’t wait to see if La Jefa is this good come nighttime." - candis mclean, alison kessler, candis mclean, candis mclean, alison kessler, candis mclean, candis mclean, candis mclean, alison kessler, candis mclean, alison kessler, candis mclean, alison kessler
"La Jefa comes from the team behind Rittenhouse institution, Tequila’s—in fact, they share a kitchen. For now, La Jefa is a daytime café with a menu of Mexican espresso drinks and food options like chilaquiles, barbacoa sandwiches, and house-baked concha (dinner will roll out later). There’s also a cocktail menu if you’re a three-micheladas-with-brunch kind of person. We checked out La Jefa and added it to the Hit List." - candis mclean, alison kessler
"La Jefa opened with a lot of anticipation—after all, it’s the sibling of the beautiful (and much-beloved) Tequila’s. By day, this cafe stands out on its own thanks to its fantastic Mexican-inspired breakfast and baked goods. But come nightfall, the lights go dim, the music borders on clubstaurant volume, and it turns into a sexy spot for date night. Skip the larger plates and opt for a snacky dinner of starters: the shrimp aguachile is punchy, the carnitas vampiro are served with a silky guacachile, and you'll fight over the last of the caesar slaw with the taco dorado. If you don't have time for a full meal, at least try one of the fantastic cocktails." - candis mclean, alison kessler